Rural children will be most affected by the proposed cuts to Medicaid. About 38 percent of Minnesota’s rural children are enrolled in Medicaid/CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), according to a new report. This is an increase from 28 percent in 2008. There currently are 10 percent more children enrolled in Minnesota’s rural areas compared to metropolitan areas.
View the percentage of children and adults covered by Medicaid impact by county in this report: Medicaid in Small Towns and Rural America: A Lifeline for Children, Families and Communities
According to published reports, 13 senators are working to revise the American Health Care Act passed by the House of Representatives in early May. The intent is produce a bill through the reconciliation process, which will only require a 50 percent majority vote. The current House version would cut back on the Medicaid expansion and put a cap on the amount of money states could be federally reimbursed for enrollees. View a summary of the House Bill.
This is concerning not only for children’s health, but also for school funding. A small but significant funding source for therapeutic services such as speech and language and physical therapy for children with disabilities is third-party billing to insurance providers.
This is most effective when the insurance provider is Medicaid/CHIP as lifetime caps are not affected. A loss of this revenue due to restrictions in Medicaid funding will increase the special education cross subsidy for school districts.
Take a moment to connect with Senators Franken and Klobuchar to share the impact on these proposed Medicaid cuts on your students and school districts. Contact the senators today: Email Sen. Franken and Email Sen. Klobuchar.
Impact by County
View the report
Medicaid in Small Towns and Rural America: A Lifeline for Children, Families and Communities
The report shows the percentage of children and adults covered by Medicaid in rural America. It breaks out the data by state and county.
View interactive map by looking up your county’s percentage of children enrolled in Medicaid/CHIP.
Learn more about Rural Health and Medicaid
Researchers at Georgetown University and the University of North Carolina used census data to compare Medicaid enrollment and uninsured rates before and after Medicaid was expanded once the Affordable Care Act went into effect.
